MIES (Switzerland) - We don't have an official award for the Best Defensive Player of the Group Phase.
But if we did, who would have won it? Well, maybe the best way to determine that is to look at the frontrunners for the season award at this stage of the season and take it from there.
If you want to win the Defensive Player of the Year for Season 9, you will almost certainly need to make it to the Final Four next May for a start.
After that, you probably need to be either the best defensive player on one of the best defensive teams, or a statistical leader for blocks or steals. When you look at the level of competition for the award this year, you might need to achieve all of those feats.
So, after the Group Phase, who are the leading candidates from the teams still in the competition?
James Palmer Jr - Galatasaray
If you check our advanced stats page on the website, you will see that Galatasaray allowed just 101 points per 100 possessions during the Group Phase, which ranked them fifth in the entire competition.
If you watch those two clips above, you can see for yourself why James Palmer Jr is most likely their best defensive player. With 1.3 steals per game, he's their second most prolific thief after Otis Livingston (1.8).
He's not only shown us the gift to play disruptive defense on the ball and the IQ to read passing lanes to come up with steals, but he's also shown us the ability to use his length to block shots and offer outstanding rim protection.
Palmer Jr can legitimately guard multiple positions and not just survive whilst doing it, but make a serious impact on his opponent. He's been a game-changing presence on the defensive end for Galatasaray.
Ismael Kamagate - Bertram Derthona Basket
Ismael Kamagate was probably the easiest name to put down for this list and the X post above goes a long way to explaining why.
He's doing things that haven't been done before when it comes to blocking shots, and as a result he's leading the BCL for blocks with an impressive 3.0 per game.
If we dig a little deeper it gets even more eye-catching because he's blocking three shots for every personal foul committed, which means he's incredibly disciplined and not sending players to the free-throw line in the process.
When you watch the video in that post above, you also see that not only is he blocking shots, he's blocking a wide range of shots. You see traditional, help-side rim protection, you see trailing blocks on players driving to the rim, and you also see switches onto guards with blocked jump shots.
To really hit the point home, if Kamagate maintains this pace of 3.0 blocks per game, he will beat Norvel Pelle's record of 2.7 from the first season of the BCL, and record the best ever shot-blocking season in the BCL.
If you have watched him play this season, you'd be crazy to think he can't do it.
Christian Vital - Bertram Derthona Basket
You might be wondering why we have two players from the same team on this list, especially when Bertram Derthona Basket aren't the best defensive team in the BCL, but the reason is simple, as impressive as Kamagate has been when it comes to blocking shots, his teammate Christian Vital has been equally outstanding when it comes to stealing the ball.
Vital leads all players left in the competition with 2.4 steals per contest and leads the competition outright with steals per personal foul at 1.7. So, again, he's disciplined in his work and not bailing his opponent's out with cheap fouls.
He's also recording a freakish six steals for every turnover he commits, so his possessional value to Derthona is through the roof, because he's not only winning possession, but also protecting it at an unbelievable rate.
Stephane Gombauld - Pallacanestro Reggiana
Here in the Basketball Champions League, we love to see a player arrive and introduce themselves on the continental stage and that's exactly what Stephane Gombauld is doing for Pallacanestro Reggiana.
He's averaging 1.7 blocks which places him in the top five of players left in the competition, and he's doing that whilst also adapting to playing power forward and center, growing and developing his game as he goes. It doesn't end there either, he's also averaging 1.3 steals which ranks him joint top amongst centers who are still in the competition.
Gombauld has that Go-Go-Gadget length when he extends his arms to block shots or shrink the floor and his combination of motor and mobility makes him must-watch TV on the defensive end.
These aren't just blocks, they are showstoppers.
Alberto Diaz - Unicaja
There isn't another player in this league who could make this list after only playing three games, but there also isn't another Alberto Diaz in this competition.
He is the best defensive player on the second-best defensive team thus far, Unicaja allowed just 98 points per 100 possessions in the Group Phase, he's the former holder of this award, winning it in 2023, and being one of the finalists at the Award Ceremony in 2024, when Howard Sant-Roos won it, and Alberto is almost certainly the current favorite to get the award back next May.
Diaz doesn't always lead the statistical categories for steals or blocks, but his ability to be a one-man full-court press and consistently come up with attacking plays on the defensive end are what makes him such a unique and special player.
You can now vote for the best defender of the group phase. The poll closes on Monday.